Caribbean troops train in North Carolina during Island Warrior

Royal Bermuda Regiment Soldiers conduct military operations in urban terrain during Exercise Island Warrior 24, at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, on April 17, 2024.  LANCE CPL. LORIANN DAUSCHER/U.S. MARINE CORPS

THE WATCH STAFF

Soldiers from four British Overseas Territories traveled to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina in April 2024 to participate in Exercise Island Warrior 24. The two-week exercise involved firearms training and urban combat simulations and gave members from the Royal Bermuda Regiment (RBR) and the Turks and Caicos Islands Regiment (TCIR) opportunities to hone their warfighting skills and practice interoperability with other forces.

The RBR organized the exercise, which also included troops from the Cayman Islands Regiment and the Falkland Islands Defence Force. More than 100 soldiers from the RBR attended the exercise, according to an RBR news release. Three British Army officers also participated in the training.

Held annually at Camp Lejeune, Island Warrior provides Caribbean troops exposure to facilities and training scenarios that aren’t readily available on their respective islands. RBR Lt. LeeAnn Tucker explained: “Because Bermuda doesn’t have the training facilities for us to utilize, we go overseas to different bases to train and get the experience that we wouldn’t necessarily get back on the island. We get the fundamentals and theory back at home and we can do so much with what we have, then when we get overseas, we enhance it and practice more.”

The U.S. was a welcoming host to the visiting troops, Maj. Thomas Wood, the RBR’s executive officer, told the Royal Gazette, a Bermuda newspaper. “We are, as always, very well-supported by the U.S. Marine Corps contingent within Camp Lejeune, who bend over backwards to ensure that we have a successful and worthwhile exercise.”

Exercise Island Warrior 24 focuses on interoperability, Wood said, adding he was grateful that the Falklands, Cayman and TCIR decided to join the RBR in North Carolina. “The focus this year is to ensure that we are able to operate independently but also as part of a wider contingent of armed forces. It’s a melting pot of ideas as to the best practices that can work within Bermuda but then, importantly for us, more widely within the British Overseas Territories communities,” Wood told the newspaper.

Among other activities, RBR and TCIR soldiers worked together in a four-day training scenario that included “socioeconomic tensions, gangs and rising crime rates,” according to an RBR news release. RBR troops completed reassurance patrols on residential streets, provided protection during a food distribution operation and sought a wanted fugitive. The training exposed troops to the emotional stresses of chaotic situations involving civilians and how to respond professionally during resilience operations like an episode of civil unrest or a humanitarian crisis such as a flood or earthquake.

RBR Sgt. Murricko Iris, who was a platoon sergeant on the exercise, said: “We’ve been doing close-quarters battle for the past three days as well as urban patrols … I enjoyed the steady progression of the troops, from them having absolutely no experience to running a smooth attack with minimal loss and minimal casualties. It makes me feel good that we are teaching them, they’re retaining information and they’re enjoying themselves while doing it, which is the best part about learning.”